The ‘Encore’ series
is one of EMI’s more uneven reissue labels, so it is good
to report that this one is an absolute steal. The Belcea
Quartet has established a solid reputation in Dutilleux,
Debussy and Ravel, Schubert, Bartók and Britten. This
reissue acts as a reminder of the group’s potency coupled
with their youthful sense of exploration and exuberance.

The
C minor Quartet receives an intense performance, as befits
its musical surface. The rigour of the workings of the
first movement seems to hang over the Romance, a
second movement at once infinitely tender yet with an underlay
of disquiet. The close of the Romance takes the
music down to a whisper, enabling the rhythmic shiftings
of the next movement to emerge out of nowhere, as if voicing
a doubt as to any ambitions the Romance may have
had towards serenity. Yet even here the doubts are calmed
by passages of the utmost transparency. The finale returns
to the determined motivic workings of the first movement,
now with added grit. A superb performance. I agree with
Michael Cookson’s recommendation of the Borodin Quartet
in this piece (Teldec); I would add the Škampa
Quartet on Supraphon as a further recommendation.

The
radiant String Quintet in G, Op.111 makes for the ideal
coupling. The translucency of the textures is breathtaking
and the wonderfully clear recording helps. The Belcea is
joined by the ABQ’s much-missed violist, Thomas Kakuska.
The warm, free-flowing invention is mesmeric to listen
to. Not only is the recording clear, it is also warm and
welcoming. The hesitancy of the Adagio is gripping,
with its pianissimi that verge on the inaudible
and its outbursts of sheer joy in creative expression;
the ensuing Un poco allegretto exudes an atmosphere
of the generally unsettled. The finale introduces a measure
of tension into the mix, though.

Documentation is sparse: there are roughly equal amounts
of text - less than a page - on the composer and the works
presented. The artists receive a little more. The standard
of performance and recording, on this occasion, eclipses
the niggles. Do not hesitate.

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